ENP preceptors have seen it all
All-star pair in The Woodlands prepare emergency nurse practitioners
Emergency Nurse Practitioners (ENPs) never know what they will encounter on a night shift at a suburban hospital, and two preceptors make sure Cizik School of Nursing at UTHealth Houston students get the full experience.
Nearly every semester, Elizabeth C. “Chris” Windham, MSN, FNP, ENP, and Brett Tracy, MSN, FNP, ENP, precept students on the Emergency/Trauma Care track.
“I think many students are shocked by the suburban experience. Our volume and acuity often blow their hair back a bit. They get good clinical experience and the opportunity to observe and practice plenty of clinical procedures,” Windham said. “I think in some ways, we see and manage even more than nurse practitioners in the medical center, especially between 1 and 6 a.m. when there are not a lot of other providers available.”
Tracy agrees that community hospitals provide valuable experiences for ENP students.
“The further you get away from teaching hospitals, the more autonomy is afforded to advanced practice providers,” he said. “Community and rural health care is where NPs are needed most.”
Both ENPs are alumni of Cizik School of Nursing. Windham earned her Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) at UTHealth Houston, and Tracy received his from Rush University in Chicago. Both earned post-master’s certificates on the Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) and ENP tracks at Cizik School of Nursing.
“They never hesitate to help students make sure they have the best experience and complete their required clinical hours,” said Cizik School of Nursing Assistant Professor Deborah McCrea, EdD, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC, EMT-P.
The preceptors begin by assessing the students’ skill level, then working on skills and building confidence, and finally transitioning them to more independence in caring for patients, Tracy said. “The process generally starts with significant humbling, then transitions to quiet trepidation that matures to confidence that produces a resolute understanding of pathophysiology and pharmacology along with ongoing learning and education uniquely suited to provide care in the environment of an emergency department.”
Tracy and Windham are committed to helping provide the high-quality clinical experiences students need to succeed as future ENPs. Windham recalls “amazing, super-hero mentors” who helped build her clinical confidence, a goal she carries forward in working with students.
“I still remember to this day one of my mentors telling me she would enjoy working with me when I got out,” she said. “It was a real boost to my spirit.”
